


Under Construction

by ItsaMePatches



Category: Vocaloid
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2015-06-15
Packaged: 2018-04-04 03:16:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4123731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsaMePatches/pseuds/ItsaMePatches
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During the time they're still under development for public release, three Vocaloids meet each other for the first time in their lives. Bruno, Clara, and Tonio -- these are the names of the Vocaloids. Because it's unknown when their finishing touch will be accomplished, the trio don't know how long they will be living together in this temporary "housing". While Clara seems to be treating Tonio like a fellow buddy, will Bruno be able to become friends with the opera Vocaloid as well? And what about Tonio? What's going through his mind during this?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nice to Meet You

**Author's Note:**

> Ouch, that summary. I'll probably try fixing it later, but for now, I'll leave it alone.
> 
> Anyway, this is going to be a multi-chapter story (not entirely sure how many chapters, but I know it'll be more than four) that will feature Bruno, Clara, and Tonio. If anybody wanted to know the "timeline" where this story takes place, it happens during 2009. While this fact someone told me probably isn't accurate/true, but, a person once told me that Bruno and Clara were slowly getting developed around the same time Tonio was (or when he was being released by Zero-G) and said person suggested possibly making a Bruno/Tonio story about it. This...is pretty much how this story came to be.
> 
> The song Tonio is mentioned singing in this chapter was one of the songs used in his demo ("Una furtiva lagrima").

* * *

_..._

* * *

 

 

      The year was 2009. During this time, the creation of Vocaloids was becoming more quicker than it did during the Vocaloid1 generation and it didn’t seem Vocaloid2’s generation was going to be complete any time soon. One of these newer members who was under development was a male English Vocaloid named Tonio, the sixth member of the Zero-G family.  
  
      While Tonio was in development, it has been said there were two other Vocaloids in the same scenario as he was. Their names were Bruno and Clara, who we know were released in the early Vocaloid3 generation due to possible complications. These two young adults were destined to become the first Spanish Vocaloids.  
  
      Now while these three waited until they were ready to be released to the world, they stayed together in an unknown location in Spain which was set up by the team who worked on their voices…I.E. the people “behind the scenes” who brought Vocaloids into the world.  
  
      This place, located within Madrid apparently, was in a rather expensive-looking hotel. On the twelfth floor resided the best-of-the-best suites, and of those suits was room 1204. This room was being used by Zero-G and another Vocaloid group for the time being. There was a large living room when you enter the suite, two bedrooms to the left, two more bedrooms to the far right, a kitchen and bar was located at the upper right, and the place was of course furnished.  
  
For the most part, this room as silent and without anybody living in it; that is, until this day.  
  


      The sound of the door unlocking by the sliding of the room’s card was heard, followed by the door opening and closing gently. The padded shoes trailed across the entry way and into one of the rooms on the left. The young man, possibly in his mid-twenties, placed his suitcase at the foot of the bed and removed his tuxedo jacket. Off went the bow tie he sported, letting it drop onto the mattress. His bare fingers unbuttoned the first three buttons of his dress shirt as he went back into the living room.

      At the moment, there sat a song at the back of his mind, one which stirred an odd sense of nostalgia made years ago. Since he was alone, he decided to sing the song known as " _Una furtiva lagrima_ ".

      "Una furtiva lagrima..."

      Singing through the first few lines of the song, he swiped a hotel information book as he passed by the desk which sat near the balcony, continuing with his vocalizing and flipping through the book without a care. This song -- it did something to him, and he swore he couldn't figure out why that was. Flashes would appear through his vision during a time in which he was going through an emotional conflict between being happy yet suffering through self-hatred. Oh, but this song...that's what should matter to him now in the present! It was a passionate song which deserved his full attention.

      His eyes caught the sight of the drink section on the menu. Martini? Very curious about that kind of alcoholic drink. After pressing the number for room service on the land line telephone, he gave his order, hung up, and then continued singing. Slowly, he approached the curtains and yanked the heavy material back to allow the sun's rays to shine through on this beautiful afternoon in Spain. For anyone watching the man singing and doing this action, they would've found this silly due to assumption that he did this on purpose for effect.

      Close, he was so close to the climax of the song...

      " _Si può morir…! Si può morir d'amor_ …"

      That was when the main door was unlocked and opened all of the way. The man spun around with surprise and saw two people staring at him. One man and a woman who seemed to be the same age as him or even younger. The woman had dark brown hair and bright brown eyes while the man beside her had curly brown hair and a pair of light blue eyes. The woman smiled at him with amusement.  
  
      “Wow guy, that was really good!” she said, her Spanish accent rather strong to the ears of the opera singer across from her.  
  
      The man who had been singing in Italian blinked with furrowed eyebrows at the two of them. The blue-eyed man stared back at him, smiling like his partner was.  
  
      “I’m guessing you’re Tonio,” he said to, whom we now know is, Tonio. “Those guys were right about you sounding so great at opera.”  
  
      Tonio stayed quiet, however, and felt his ears burn at the compliments being given to him.  
  
      The woman spoke up again as she slowly took a few steps towards him, “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you! My name’s Clara…” she gestured to the man at the door with a hand reached out, “and his name is Bruno.”  
  
      At his name being mentioned to Tonio, Bruno’s smile widened which caused Tonio to blush suddenly. This was the first time anyone smiled at him, and this man was making it “worse” with how innocent yet charming it looked.  
  
      Tonio cleared his throat. His fingers went to his top and buttoned up an inch underneath his collar as he finally said, “It’s nice meeting the two of you, also. And yes,” he added, “I’m Tonio.”  
  
      And this was how Tonio met his fellow Vocaloids: Bruno and Clara.

 

* * *

 

**to be continued**

 

 


	2. Past (Bruno and Clara)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruno and Clara attempt to get to know Tonio a little and while Tonio leaves the room for a bit, Clara gets a small moment to remember the time she and Bruno were still living together in that old college dorm, waiting for the big day to leave and start their lives out as Vocaloids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the first chapter was so short, allow me to update the second chapter already to make up for it.

* * *

Getting to know you.

* * *

 

 

     “So, where are you from?” Clara asked the man beside her on the rather comfy couch. “You have an English accent, but…it sounds like it’s mixed with something else when you say certain words.”

     It had been a mere five minutes after the trio met one another with two of them being practically lured by Tonio’s singing from within the walls of this suite. Bruno offered to order something to eat and drink in the meanwhile as Clara and Tonio had time to get to know each other as well.

    “I’m from Italy,” was Tonio’s response. “I was born and raised there; however, I moved to the United Kingdom to reside for a year. Are you, upon a guess, Spanish?”

     “Sure am! Say, how long have you been here at this hotel?”  
     “Just arrived. This is my first time being on my own, also.”

     She quirked a brow. Interesting…perhaps Tonio was younger than she had assumed he was. He looked - well, not hesitant but - cautious with a hint of innocence. Maybe Tonio was from a family and once he was recruited into the Vocaloid family, he moved out as some sort of deal. Wow, poor Tonio.

     Tonio’s eyebrows scrunched at how Clara began to think and place her hand into the palm of her hand. What could she be wondering about? Was it something he said? He admit, Tonio wasn’t the best with social interactions; so, he could’ve said something he shouldn’t have…

     “Clara?”  
     “Huh, what is it?”  
     “Did I say something that bothered you?”

     “Ah, no,” Clara assured him, “I was just thinking about what you said. Sorry if I worried you about something.”

     “Oh, alright…” He sat back against his seat with his hands moving to his lap. “So,” he decided to change the subject as he questioned her, “What were you doing prior to coming here?”

     A small grin came to her face. “College,” was her response, then further explained, “we both were finishing our classes at a college in Madrid before Voctro called us out and brought us here. How about you, Tony?”

     ’ _Tony?_ ’ Tonio repeated the nickname in his head. “I honestly…” he paused once he suddenly ran into a mental roadblock. Good Lord, that was a good question for him. He honestly couldn’t remember what he had been doing before arriving at this lovely hotel. It was as though every single thing he would do, he’d forget his steps momentarily! He must have had an attention problem, a memory problem, or something even serious…

     In fact, the only time he would remember things was through certain opera songs: “ _Una furtiva lagrima_ ” and “ _Con te partirò_ ”. Perhaps he could try telling Clara his life with the assistance of the photos which played within his mind during the songs that played.

     “I honestly,” he started again, “didn’t do much. I was attending a school that focused entirely on opera.”

     “Really? Sounds cool. What was it like?”  
     “Interesting. The teacher seemed to favour me; although, I can’t be entirely sure if it was my imagination or not.”

     “Considering how you sounded when Bruno and I came inside,” she replied, “I’ll bet that you imagining your teacher liking you is definitely false. The fans are gonna _love_ you at this rate!”

     The compliment…God, why did it have to make his cheeks and ears burn a deep shade of cherry?

     “Hey, also…” Clara decided to add in as a way to cause Tonio to warm up to her, “I took an opera workshop on the side. Opera’s a pretty difficult genre to master! Was it easy for you?”

     “Yes,” he immediately responded. Opera came rather easy to him, but he couldn’t master other musical genres such as pop for some reason.

     “Ever heard of Andrea Bocelli?”  
     “I…yes? Why?”  
     “I’ll bet you’d sound great doing a duet with him. Two, strong tenors singing together passionately in Italian!”

     Tonio felt a tiny smile creep onto his face. “What makes you believe that, Clara?”

     She simply shrugged. “I don’t know. I just think you’d sound nice with someone within your range instead of a soprano.”

     “If you say so.”  
     “Yeah, I say so.”

     Bruno came back from one of the rooms to the left of the deluxe suite, telling the other two Vocaloids, “The stuff should be here within an hour or so.”

     “Great!” The Spanish woman stood with her hands clasping together. “Hey, I’m gonna grab some ice just in case we need any for later. Be right back.”

     “Oh, uh…okay, Clara-belle.”

     Clara tried not to flinch at the nickname as she grabbed the ice bucket off the kitchen counter. Yes, alright…her hand _did_ twitch in mid-air whilst she reached for the bucket, but showed no other obvious signs besides that action. She walked towards the door, opened it, then she said over her shoulder, “Don’t get too wild for Tonio while I’m out, _Bru-Bru_.”

     Having the feeling that Tonio was raising a brow over at him upon hearing the nickname, Bruno coughed into a closed fist. “I won’t.”

     The door closed once Clara left Tonio and Bruno by themselves.

     Bruno took the spot which his friend formally sat on. “So, where were you before you came here?”

     “I was in Italy for as long as I could remember, but I had to move to the United Kingdom last year,” he answered the same question without feeling annoyed.

     A smile came to his face at the reply. “Did you study opera or something while you were there, or is it all come naturally to you?”

     ’ _I hardly remember much of myself beyond a year ago, so I’m not sure_ ,’ was a thought which came to Tonio’s mind. What a pain in the arse to have a horribly memory span. “A bit of both,” he instead told the man beside him. “I was an opera student and learnt a bit on my own.”

     The smile on Bruno’s face never went away and, instead, widened. “I should’ve guessed. You know, Tonio…” he confessed, as embarrassed as he felt admitting it, “I used to listen to some of the songs that had you in them and thought you sounded great…so much so that I wound up listening to you once in a while.”

     Tonio felt his ears and cheeks heat thanks to Bruno’s compliment. “You think I sound ‘great’?”

     “Yeah.” He nodded. “I-I mean,” he quickly added, “we were given these demos of how you and the other Vocaloids sound like while we were still in college. I’ve got to listen to…all of you, but I thought you sounded the best.” He noticed the blush on Tonio’s face remained and soon found himself blushing from his own embarrassment. Hopefully, Tonio didn’t think he was trying to subtly flirt with him.

     They glanced away from each other, both men feeling a little awkward for whatever reason or reasons that ran through their minds.

     With the clicking of the door being unlocked, Clara returned, lightly swinging a filled bucket of ice. She instantly saw the two Vocaloids with their eyes glancing from each other while blushing heavily.

     “Oh come on,” Clara spoke up, breaking the brief silence, “I was only gone for a few minutes, Bru. What did you do?”

     “Nothing!” Bruno cried out to her.

     “You guys are blushing, though. Pretty sure it wasn’t 'nothing’ that caused it.”  
     “…”

     “He was simply…” Tonio got out of his seat, explaining for the two of them, “complimenting on my singing capabilities and how he listened to it once in a while.”

     She raised a brow, then she shot a small grin at her friend. Oh-so-subtly, Clara said, “I see. I know I’ve said this earlier when we first met you, but I think you’re pretty awesome at singing. You’ll kick the asses of the opera-wannabe Vocaloids since you know what you’re singing!”

     The red in his face deepened as he turned his head from the Spanish woman, grumbling in reply, “I-I…thank you, Clara.”

     Tonio suddenly excused himself, claiming he was going to take a shower. He went to fetch his suitcase, then he retreated into one of the bathrooms without another word to say to either Spanish Vocaloids. Clara let out a small chuckle while Bruno sighed and laid back against the couch as the red in his cheeks faded.

     “Blew it, Bru.”  
     “You’re not making me feel better, Clara-belle.”

     She joined him on the couch and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Sorry.”

     He huffed.

     “…Clara?”  
     “Yeah?”  
     “I think Tonio’s shy, either that or this is the first time he’s ever been complimented in his life.”

     “I have a feeling it’s both,” she answered with a shrug. “What do you think of him so far?”

     He thought for a few seconds until he smiled. “He seems nice. You?”

     “Pretty cute. He looks pretty sophisticated and blushes at the simplest of things!”  
     “You think…if we ask to hear him sing, he’d get embarrassed again?”

     Clara took a moment to think. Her eyes glanced about the room while water running could be heard from the bathroom, followed by the sliding of a curtain opening and closing. Finally, she responded, “He might, but maybe we’ll hear him when he’s by himself. Remember? He was singing to himself just as we got here. He must like singing when nobody’s looking…”

     Bruno hummed in thought, his blue eyes wandering over to the bathroom door. “That could be it…”

    A knock came at the suite’s door.

     “I’ll get it,” Bruno told Clara before she had a chance to get up.

     Clara watched his retreating back as a lazy grin came to her face. Well, Bruno got the chance to meet a guy he couldn’t seem to get enough of; especially during the time they stayed at their little apartment back in Madrid as college students. What a nerd he was…

 

* * *

 

 

_Hello, Bruno and Clara!_

_From all of us, we’re hope you are doing well as you’re continuing on with college. By our estimates as of 2009, we may be able to have you two finished with development while you complete your last semester. Of course, timing could change if we need to tweak anything._

_Also, thank you for recording and sending the files for us to study in order to figure out if either of you need to come by and let us adjust anything. Oh, and please don’t worry about only having a plain USB microphone, it should be good enough!_

_Anyway, we’re contacting the two of you today because we wanted to know if you’re doing okay. Please let us know if you need assistance with college needs._

_Plus, we’ve added an attachment below containing MP3 files of each Vocaloid in case you wanted to hear how they sound. We’ve chosen the best of each one in order to show them in their best. Note: One or two files contain a demo of a currently unreleased Vocaloid named Tonio. There’s a possibility that you’ll meet him soon; although we’re not sure how soon it could be._

_We will talk to you soon. Have a nice day!_

_Sincerely,  
Voctro Labs_

 

* * *

 

 

_A yawn and the sound of bare feet hitting the wooden floor of the apartment was what caused Clara to look over her shoulder to see Bruno in boxers and a tank top with bed hair. She let the attachment on her slick black laptop download as she greeted her university buddy with a grin._

_“Good morning, sleepyhead We’ve got a message from Voctro again.”_

_With still half-lidded eyes, Bruno plopped into a seat next to her at the kitchen table. “What?” he mumbled sleepily._

_“Check the email and the attachment when it’s done downloading. I’ll get breakfast out.”  
     “Mngh.”_

_Clara slid out of her seat, leaving the sleepy Spanish man to stare blankly at the laptop screen while she warmed up their breakfast in the miniature microwave. She heard him groan and shift about in his seat, then a few clicks were heard. Bruno must have been scrolling through the e-mail, followed by him clicking around on the laptop to find the files they were sent._

_Glancing over at her shoulder, she asked, “So, what is it?”_

_He squinted his eyes whilst reaching a hand to rub at an eye, replying, “MP3 files…”_

_“Ohh, so that’s what the e-mail talked about.”_  
     “Did you want me to try one of them?”  
     “Sure.”  
     “Just sit there and I’ll get our drinks and stuff.”

_Bruno nodded, listening to her instructions. In the alphabetical order they were in, the music files played as Clara did what she needed to whilst Bruno slowly snapped out of his sleepy state. Waking up at seven in the morning was the worst for him, honestly…it was inhumane; after all, sleeping into the early afternoon was the best…_

_…according to Bruno, anyway._

_Later on, the air in the kitchen was filled with the scent of a strong espresso, something which completed Bruno’s process of awaking all the way as a Vocaloid named Sonika started her song._

_With a chuckle, Clara said over her shoulder, “Cute. Sonika sounds pretty young…”_

_“She’s probably fourteen or fifteen,” Bruno guessed._

_“Hey, Bru…move the laptop to the middle of the table. I’m bringing the drinks over.”_

_He carefully lifted the computer and sat it down while the cheerful pop music - and equally cheerful singer - continued playing. Seconds after he moved the computer, Clara placed the two cups of espresso then the matching bowls of warm oatmeal sat beside the cups. They two ate in silence as they listened through the rest of the song featuring Sonika._

_“If I had to match voice with personalities,” Clara commented once the music ended, “Sonika probably gets along easily with Miku. They’re both cute in tone and seem to sound nice singing pop music.”_

_“Next file?”_  
     “Sure. It’s Tonio, right?”  
     “Yeah.”

_With a double-click on the file “ **Una furtiva lagrima** (Vocaloid2 Tonio)”, the two went back to eating and drinking. At first, there was silence; however, an orchestra slowly beginning to play as an introduction occurred. Clara sat up a little in her seat, sitting her espresso down._

_“ **Una furtiva lagrima**?”_

_Bruno glanced at her with a raised brow. “Is that a popular song…?”_

_“Not really sure about its popularity besides the fact that it’s from ’ **L'elisir d'amore** ’, but,” Clara told him, “it’s a song I heard about in that opera workshop I took last semester. Pretty nice song! It makes me wonder how Tonio will nail it.”_

_The Spanish man took a sip of his own espresso as he relaxed in his seat._

_That was when the vocalizing began._

_“Una furtiva lagrima…” a tenor voice started to sing gently yet loud enough not to overpower the orchestra in the background. As he - Tonio - went through the first section of the song, an amused smile came to Clara’s face. Bruno, with the brim of the cup to his lips in order to take another gulp, steadied his eyes at the computer._

_“Nice! He and Prima were definitely the right voices for opera! Then again, they were made to.” Clara glanced over at Bruno, asking, “What do you think of him so far?”_

_Wow, the way he handled Italian with care as he sung the last lines of the songs and in such a passionate manner! Yeah, the other Vocaloids had passion within their songs and sounded great; however, there was something about this opera Vocaloid which grabbed his attention. Was it how deep he sounded but not to where he cracked or was obviously struggling? Could this be because of the emotion Tonio had in his tone?_

_Clara took notice of how his brows furrowed in a matter of curiosity and not of anger or frustration. She raised an eyebrow at him, but then saw a tiny sparkle in his pretty blue eyes. She was getting a feeling that Tonio might have captured her buddy’s attention. At last, Bruno sat against his chair as the song ended._

_“Let me guess…you like him.”  
     “You read my mind, Clara-belle.”_

_To what extent of “like” was anybody’s guess and Clara didn’t feel like asking at the moment. There was another demo song featuring Tonio entitled “La Donna e Mobile” which Bruno and Clara listened to whilst the two finished their breakfast. Clara witness Bruno smiling with a chuckle escaping him. How cute, Bruno must have really liked Tonio’s singing. It would only be after their day at college ended that they would see what each of these Vocaloids’s appearance was…minus Tonio. They would have to wait until an image of him was posted on one of the Vocaloid forums or something.  
_

_Once in a while - probably one time a week, to be precise - Clara heard Bruno listening to Tonio’s cover of “Una furtiva lagrima” from the living room while she studied in her room. She had to stop herself from laughing on various occasions due to assuming that Bruno might have liked Tonio even more than a “this person is so cool; I like them” manner._

_Three months later, the duo received a message minutes after they arrived home._

 

* * *

 

 

_Hello there, Clara and Bruno!_

_We’re glad to know you’ve been doing fine since the last time we’ve contacted you!_

_As of this month, we’re actually excited to announce to you that once you graduate, you both will be moving in to a hotel suite we’ve picked out for you until it’s time for you to move in with your fellow Vocaloids!_

_To continue on topic, you’ll also be joined by Zero-G’s Vocaloid: Tonio. All three of you will be evaluated at least twice a month and the rest of the time there will be up to you. (No limitations as long as it’s realistic like a trip to the moon. That would be silly…)_

_We will contact you over the phone to discuss whatever time is convenient to head to your temporary housing and whatever else you’re curious about, regarding this plan._

_Sincerely,  
Voctro Labs_

 

* * *

 

****

_“They sure love spoiling us…” Clara said, quirking an eyebrow. “And hey, we get to meet Tonio!”  
_

_The Spanish man beside her made a toothy grin as he rested his chin in a hand. “This should be good. Can’t wait to meet the guy…” He paused, then turned to Clara as he asked, “You think he might be able to understand Spanish?”_

_“He should. Italian differs a bit from Spanish…” she replied with a shrug, but then she shot a grin of the same kind back at him. “And I can tell you’re pretty ecstatic to see Tony. Are you going to fanboy over him?”_

_“…excuse me.”  
     “Heh~…”_

_“I’m going to keep it civil, of course,” said Bruno, then he crossed his arms loosely. “I’ll tell him how admirable he is and hope I don’t scare him.”_

_Her grin softened. “That’s nice. He’ll be glad to meet you.”_

_“Do you think so?”  
     “Yeah, you’re a sweet guy!”_

_His own grin faltered, but then he smiled at her whilst a blush made it to his cheeks. Embarrassed but touched, he mumbled a “thanks, Clara-belle” to the woman beside him._

 

* * *

 

     Bruno pushed the cart full of trays with metal tops on them over to the couch as he spotted Clara grinning ear-to-ear to herself.

     Cautiously, he spoke up, “Uh, Clara? Are you okay? You’re worrying me.”

     Clara, instead of telling him she had a flashback, shook her head. “Don’t worry, I’m okay. I was thinking of a funny joke just now.”

     “Oh.”  
     “Anyway, let’s eat. Leave Tonio’s stuff on the cart though.”

 

* * *

 

**to be continued**


	3. Past (Tonio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We’ve looked at Bruno’s and Clara’s life briefly, and now it’s Tonio’s turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another song which was used as a demo for Tonio ("Una furtiva lagrima") is used in this story.
> 
> That's...pretty much all I have to say about this chapter.

* * *

 

 

Past (Tonio)

 

* * *

 

 

shampoo-covered hands to his hair and began to scrub at the hair he had just washed yesterday. He felt he needed to get away from Bruno and Clara. It wasn’t as though he disliked them, certainly wasn’t the case. In fact, Tonio was all right in their presence…  
  
       It’s simply…simply…  
  
       He stopped scrubbing his hair with a small frown, letting his arms drop to his side. Tonio grabbed the bar of soap and started to wash his olive-coloured skin.  
  
       …  
  
       Alright, so he wasn’t used to people saying how great he sung. Whenever he was with the Zero-G workers and had to record a demo or something else, the opera singer almost stumbled over his words if he overheard positive things being spoken about him.  
  
        Why though? Why on earth did he always react in such a way, in such a manner that he nearly blushed every time?  
  
        Tonio, once he ran his fingers through his hair to check to see if there was any residue, carefully opened an eye so he could find the conditioner. He squint his eye at the name of the conditioner – Heno de Pravia – which shared the name with the shampoo. He opened the top and took a sniff, immediately liking the scent.  
  
        He paused from humming the rest of the song. Now quiet, the Italian squirt a plentiful amount of conditioner into his palm, then he started to massage his scalp with the slippery substance. In a skillful way, his fingers slid through his hair but hitting the occasional tangle which soon gave itself up.  
  
        Tonio allowed himself to close his eye and his mind to wander whichever way.

       “ _Una furtiva lagrima…negli occhi suoi spuntò.._.”  
  
        A beautiful tenor’s voice – whose name was Enrico Caruso – began to sing inside his head, then a visual flashed into his thoughts. It was a young man, possibly age nineteen or a tad younger, sitting on a twin sized bed. His eyes were fixated upon the source of the music playing: his desktop computer. In the boy’s hand was a martini glass, filled with the alcoholic drink. The teenager’s eyes were filled with doubt and – perhaps – sadness. What for? Why was he disheartened?  
  
        And why did the boy looked similar to him? Yes, he lacked facial hair and his hair was shoulder-length instead of being shorter; however, Tonio wasn’t dense enough to ignore how he and the boy took on other similarities.  
  
        Oh Lord, the music or only the vocals caused his body’s temperature to rise, but Tonio tried ignoring it and let the shower water rinse him off.  
  
        A part of him hoped he didn’t have to feel awkwardly shy and blush at every given moment while he lived with the two Spanish Vocaloids; especially since this would be the first time he had to socialize with others for so long…

 

* * *

 

 

_Before he came here, he was pretty much **alone.**_

 

* * *

 

 

 _Day after day, Tonio would wake up in the flat he was given by Zero-G. The two room flat only had basic furnishing since the opera singer didn’t feel he needed much otherwise. Well, there was a vintage record player he went out and bought, along with a few records to enjoy. His closet, which he opened every day around eight in the morning, was filled with two or three tuxedos since he didn’t know what else he would wear._  
  
        Of course, he had a set of pyjamas, robe, and slippers for whenever he wanted to feel relaxed.  
  
        Every day, he’d drink coffee and water to wake himself and then take-out from a small place next to the building he was in. He never honestly felt alone at first, but the longer he was around, the longer he realised he needed people to talk to or hang around with. The only issue was that he couldn’t seem to figure out what to say if he was ever given the chance to interact beyond a “hello” to a store employee.  
  
        Tonio would soon be brought back and forth from Italy to the United Kingdom with the thanks of Zero-G so they could continue observing his vocals in case the company needed to “fix” him.  
  
        When he was first told that, a voice in the back of his head said, “I wish you would fix me. Please, I don’t want to be a joke.”

 _He, Tonio, never thought like that before, so hearing that comment caused him to question himself. Did he have a self-esteem problem and he never bothered to realise it? Soon, he wondered about himself. The opera Vocaloid couldn’t remember what he had been doing prior to living in that flat. At first, he assumed Zero-G built him then was released to live independently; however, a part of him didn’t believe it._  
  
        One day, while he laid himself in his twin-sized bed around midnight and his eyes began to drift, he heard a woman’s voice, gently calling inside his mind:  
  
        “Antonello? Are you in here? Miss Bellamy told me you looked sick. Are you feeling all right? Please…”  
  
        “That’s not my name,” he mumbled at the voice without a bother to wonder who on earth was the woman, for he would’ve rather falling asleep.

 _“Antonello,” she continued, “you’re the best student I have. I_ **know** you’ll do every one of us proud!”  
  
        Tonio opened his eyes half way. Was she going to say more?  
  
       “An–Antonello, are you drunk? Why did you drink so much? Is there something you want to talk about?”  
  
       His right hand, from its position underneath the pillow, clutched the grey cushion whilst he listened on. There was something about her voice which stirred his heart to beat louder. Why?  
  
        For a few minutes, he waited to see if she would speak once more, but he was only met with silence. Somewhat disappointed, the Vocaloid sighed through his nose before he slowly drifted to sleep.  


_The following morning arrived…_

****_Good afternoon, Tonio!_  
  
       We, at Zero-G, have decided that you might be feeling a bit lonely, so you are being sent to Spain while we finish everything else for you. For the next year, you will be living with two other Vocaloids that are under development. By tomorrow, we will contact you via mobile phone with more information.  
  
Warm Regards,  
Zero-G Ltd.

_Tonio read the message left in his e-mail by the company which took care of him. He wasn’t certain how to react. On one hand: he would be around other Vocaloids. In contrast: …well, he wasn’t sure how the others would perceive him. Tonio had been looking up on other Vocaloids and soon discovered the “meh” of how it started until a “Miku Hatsune” came along and swept the people off their feet._

        _Then, there was the fact that he sung opera. Opera was a love of his, yes; however, he was aware how much it has aged. Younger generations weren’t into the genre as much as older ones were. Granted, there were exceptions of younger people – such as himself – enjoying opera and older people showing a dislike for it, but…each to their own._  
  
        He shut the laptop down, his thoughts never ceasing to trouble him. Tonio sighed quietly. When he opened the window, he hoped some fresh air could calm him. Ah, that lovely breeze whizzing felt perfect…  
  
        Tonio shut his eyes and let the breeze do its work.  
  
        Suddenly, the voice of the woman from last night rung out:  
  
        “Hello there, everyone! I’ll be your teacher during your time here at Tammaro. My name is Madame Primrose Bianchi, but you’re free to call me whatever you want.”  
  
        He shook his head to get rid of the voice, as though that would even remotely work. Tonio huffed then opened his eyes to look outside the window. Perhaps the views outside might soothe his nerve.

        _Oh, there was the fountain which proudly displayed itself in front of the building! A small smile came to his face at the crystal clear water below. Tonio leaned forward a little with both hands supporting his body by holding onto the windowsill._  
  
        The Vocaloid’s eyes began to drift from the peace surrounding him, but then something flashed before his eyes: one of him falling over a golden railing inside of a theatre with a woman below but far enough not to get crushed by him.  
  
        He jumped and forced himself away from the windowsill, holding a hand to his chest. Good God, what was that?  
  
        “…fuck this,” he grumbled. “I’m going to take a nap.”  
  
         Tonio reluctantly went with the background that he was a student at an opera school whenever anybody asked his life’s story; although, a section of him had a feeling this made-up story with its flashes and voices could’ve been the absolute truth.

 

 

* * *

**But, that was all in the past.**

* * *

 

        Tonio threw on his loose-fitting shirt, finally shoving away things that occur not so long ago but not enough to where he should dwell on them. He checked his reflection in the mirror to see if he looked appropriate. Combing his hair wasn’t necessary, the trousers he chose weren’t tight nor saggy, and the grey top he donned didn’t hug him or appeared too large.  
  
        He took a breath through his nose whilst running a hand through his hair, his eyes focused ahead still.  
  
        Maybe he wouldn’t have to worry about these weird images and that woman’s voice ever again. He’ll probably be too busy interacting and getting to know Bruno and Clara for a year in this hotel suite. Besides, he was about to start an actual life, and he wanted to make sure he was refreshed and ready to go when the time came.

 

* * *

 

 

**to be continued**


End file.
